Paul's Sick
by Hell-Heaven
Summary: Paul is sick, as title explains, and Dawn comes to help. Yay! Rated for language, just in case. I don't own Pokemon.
1. Chapter 1

Paul Shinji woke up feeling like crap. Like utter, congested, feverish, damn-I-can't-breathe, there's-no-way-I'm-getting-up crap. Today was not looking like a good day, no sir. Though Paul was a typically gruff and moody sort of person, other days had nothing on his mood today. One could practically _see_ the storm clouds and lightning, and the tension he emitted was ridiculous. He coughed hard. He could hear his brother, Reggie, outside, laughing and feeding the Pokémon. Paul glared at his ceiling. His brother was too happy all the time. He smiled and talked too much. He growled in a way that girls call 'a manly whimper' for the sake of their boyfriends, and curled up tighter under his bed sheets, shivering and glaring at nothing in particular. It didn't help his mood that he couldn't stop coughing. It's quite difficult to look grumpy when you cough. What he really looked like he was in was pain, and he was. His head felt like he had a migraine, his body ached, and his throat was so sore that for once he couldn't even complain (gasp). He closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but then a new voice was heard from outside. _That _voice. _Her_ voice. It was Dawn Berlitz. He knew he might as well just give up on his bad mood now. His name was mentioned. Then, Paul heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and Dawn's pretty (_Wait, what?_) voice singing out. "Paul~! You have to wake up!" He groaned and rested his head in his hands. That girl always had the talent to show up at the most random and uncoordinated times.

"-_cough_- Go away, Dawn, please. I'm trying to sleep." He really was sick, wasn't he? He was being _nice._ And to Dawn! For crying out loud, he'd freaking said 'please!' "Are you ok? Are you sick or something?" The worry was evident in her voice. Luckily, he always kept his door locked as he slept, so he didn't have to worry about her coming in. Choosing to ignore her question, he rolled over and tried to block her out. Dawn paused, then began questioning again, this time more insistently. "Paul! Either come out or tell me what's wrong!" He sat up in bed, quite ticked about her perseverance. "Go _away_, Dawn! I need you to leave me alone!" His yelling was interrupted as coughs overtook him. When he recovered from his fit, he could no longer hear the annoying girl at the door. That was good. Maybe she'd gone home. He was just about to drop off, when he heard the sound of his door being unlocked. Had she…? Yes, she'd gone and asked Reggie for a key, dammit. Her head poked inside, hesitantly. "Paul?" Glancing at him lying in bed, her eyes widened, and she slowly stepped inside, quietly closing the door. "You don't look so good." He glared at her. "No duh," He rasped. Coming to stand by his bed, she placed a cool, delicate hand on his forehead, and he instinctively nuzzled into her palm, seeking comfort from the burning of his body. "Wow, you feel really warm. I'll be right back." She left, removing her hand from his forehead, and against his will, Paul wished he could reach out and put it back. When she returned, she had a little bowl and a small wet cloth. Placing it over his forehead, Dawn smiled, a soft, gentle look on her face. "That cough you have sounded painful. Do you want to take medicine now, or later?" He shrugged weakly. "Time doesn't matter. I won't take it anyway." Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, we'll see. I can get you to take it somehow." He half-laughed, half-coughed. "Sure, Berlitz." She smiled and combed her fingers through his hair. It felt good. He almost laughed at himself. What was he doing? Fraternizing with the enemy? Hell, whatever. It was nice. Today would be an exception. He fell asleep, with Dawn's hand resting lightly on his own.

When he woke up, she was gone. He sighed. He actually missed her company. _What the hell is wrong with me? It's Dawn Berlitz we're talking about!_ He groaned, feeling his fever that came with consciousness. _Damn, I feel like crap._ He frowned, feeling his breath catch in his throat as he started hacking. The force of this fit caused the towel that rested on his face to fall off his forehead. Just as the violet haired trainer was feeling as if he couldn't suck in air, Dawn was there beside him, helping him sit up and drink some water. He leaned into her arms, wheezing and gasping for breath, not giving a mother-loving care _what_ he was doing, as long as he could breathe. She rubbed circles in his back, letting him have her as support. He rubbed at his throat in a tired, irritated sort of way. "That sounded horrible," Dawn commented, gently pushing him down again so he rested on the pillows. He nodded, his head drooping and his hair falling into his eyes. "Okay then, how about you take your medicine?" He shook his head, locking his jaws in a last attempt of defiance. "Oh, come on, Paul. It's not that bad." He glared at her incredulously. _What medicine are _you_ talking about? _"Please, Paul? You want to get better, don't you?" He nodded, but waved a hand toward the medicine bottle and shook his head emphatically. "Oh, fine. I can see you wanna do this the hard way. All right, hang on." She grabbed the bottle, looked at the measurements, then poured it into a little cup. She paused, and glanced at him warily, as if in a final hopeful attempt, but he just glared. So the blue haired girl sighed, then poured the cup's contents into her own mouth. Paul gaped at her. "Dawn, what-" His statement was cut off as Dawn stepped forward and pressed her lips against his, and he gasped in surprise. Dawn took advantage of this to release the medicine from her mouth into his, and forced him to swallow it. Sitting back on the bed, she watched as he coughed, trying to catch his breath. His eyes were wide with shock, and he stared at her in indignation. "Y-you…_kissed_ me. You kissed me, Dawn Berlitz." She smiled innocently. "No, I didn't. I just made you take your medicine. I said I would, didn't I?" He frowned. "Yes, you did, but…never mind. forget it. I took it, I hope you're happy, you can go now." Dawn looked slightly hurt. "What? But-" "Now, please. Go." She nodded, then turned and walked out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Me: Ugh, part 2. This _sucked_…

Paul: You suck.

Dawn: That's not nice!

Paul: So what?

Me: You're just mad cuz I made her kiss you. You liked it anyway.

Paul: -blush- Did not!

Dawn: Um…R&R please!

Me: And btw, I'm really, really sorry this took so long. I've had writer's block for forever(I kinda still do). Oh, and I stuck everyone's favorite blond in there too. Ugh…

Paul: I hate you so much.

**Part 2**

Dawn sighed. "Man, that was so awkward, now that I think about it." She glanced up as she saw Barry power-running down the road at top speed. "Move, Dawn!" he yelled, trying to put on the brakes. But Dawn didn't realize that she was in his path until too late, and he crashed into her. "Whoops, sorry about that," he laughed. Dawn rubbed her head. "It's fine. Where are you going in such a hurry, anyway?" Her blond friend jumped to his feet, striking a pose. "I'm going to go challenge Paul again, and this time, I'll win for sure!" Dawn sat up straight as the blond got ready to run again. "No, you can't! He's sick right now." Barry looked at her like she was crazy. "That's ridiculous! Now, stop bothering me with lies, because I got a battle to win!" He took off again. "Wait! Argh, _Barry_!" Dawn scrambled to her feet and ran after him, but no one can keep up with Barry's power-running. When she came in sight of the house, they were fully engaged in battle, but it was obvious that Paul was already wavering. He was unsteady on his feet, and his eyes were drooping. Barry, being the obnoxious, oblivious idiot that he was, kept pounding his opponent's pokemon into the dust. He was about to fling Paul's Staraptor out of the way (idk I forgot all his pokemon) when Paul started swaying. His lips moved, still trying to command his pokemon, but no sound came out as he fell to the ground.

"Hey! Get up! What are you asleep for?! We are in the middle of something here! Get up already!" Barry was throwing a fit when Dawn finally caught up. Seeing Paul on the ground worry and anger welled up inside her chest, and she slapped Barry straight across the face. "SHUT _UP_!" she yelled. The blond boy held his hand over the forming red mark, shocked into silence. "I told you he was sick! You are so stupid! Did you really not notice he was sick?!" She shoved him away and ran over to Paul, kneeling beside him and rolling him over. His labored breathing told her that he was over exerted. She felt his forehead, and noted that his fever had shot up. "Paul," she murmured. "Paul, you need to wake up, just for a few seconds. I need you to tell me where Reggie is." The violet haired boy's eyes fluttered, and he groaned quietly. "I think…he went…into the greenhouse," he mumbled. Dawn nodded, then got up and ran around the back. Bursting into the glass house, she ran through the plants and pokemon, calling for Paul's brother. "Reggie!" Grabbing the older man's sleeve, she began tugging him outside, trying to explain as she walked. "Paul…he collapsed. Stupid Barry, they were battling, and then he just fell. He's sick, and, and…" Reggie didn't really understand what she was talking about, but he understood that his little brother needed help. He followed the Dawn, who was walk-pacing in a very agitated state, clasping and unclasping her hands and tapping fingers on her dress. Seriously, she needed a stress ball or something. Deciding to pick up the pace so she wouldn't die of anxiety, Reggie started running. Dawn perked up and was gone around the house, almost as fast as Barry (who has been forgotten) when he power-runs. He found her knelt beside his poor, sick, little brother, whom he picked up in his arms and carried to bed. Tucking him in gently, he turned to fetch a wet towel, but noticed there was already one on the bedside table, which Dawn had wet, and was carefully placing on Paul's forehead. Reggie hid a smile and quietly let himself out of the room.

Dawn stared at Paul's sleeping face, which was contorted into a look of discomfort. She was holding his hand, though she wasn't really aware of it. She jerked a bit in surprise as a low cough exited Paul's mouth. Dawn fidgeted nervously. She didn't want to leave, but she had to go home. Standing up and brushing off her skirt, she looked at Paul one more time. The memory of her kissing-no, giving him his medicine- flashed through her mind. She remembered how it felt. It felt…nice, somehow, in a way that just reminded her of happiness. Clapping her hands to her face, she could feel the heat rising to her face. She wriggled a bit, unsure what to do, then settled with lightly pecking Paul's cheek before scurrying out the door.


End file.
